Stanton Heights group takes school fight to court

At the zoning board meeting June 24, board members declined to hear an appeal by the Stanton Heights Community Organization on the grounds it was out of their jurisdiction. SHCO has been trying to block the construction of the Neighborhood Academy, a private school, from being built in their neighborhood since January 2009.

Kevin McKeegan, an attorney representing the Neighborhood Academy, said the school has agreed to comply with the only zoning complaint, regarding signs. The rest of SHCO’s complaint is not related to zoning and will have to be addressed in Common Pleas Court.

“The zoning board decided not to hear our case so we are going to take it to Common Pleas Court,” said Jean Bryant, the group’s president. “We are going to take it further.”

Bryant also said there was a conflict of interest for two of the board members because they sit on both the zoning board and the city planning board that originally approved Neighborhood Academy’s proposal.